16 Forest Service, 15 National Park Service and 8 BLM. 26 can be booked ahead
Suspension for long dirt, carried heavy
Nevada’s work is distance on unpaved road with a full load. The Gold Butte byway is 62 miles, the California Trail byway is 96 and Alamo Road across the Desert refuge is more than 70, and the BLM’s advice for all of them is to carry extra fuel, water and tires. Spring rates chosen for that real weight, and dampers that keep control through hours of rough road in heat the BLM puts above 100°F at Gold Butte, matter more than lift.
Tell the shop your true weight with fuel and water on board, and how fast you expect to travel on gravel.
A suspension shop matches spring rates and shock valving to the vehicle's real loaded weight, corrects the geometry that a lift changes, and aligns it afterward. On an overland vehicle the goal is control and durability under constant load, not maximum height.
The work usually includes
01Coil and leaf springs rated for the load
02Shocks: monotube, remote reservoir or adjustable
03Control arms, track bars, driveline and brake line corrections
04Air bags or helper springs for heavy rear loads
05Alignment after the work
06Advice on gearing when tire size goes up
How to choose a suspension shop
The right shop asks about weight before it asks about height.
01Weigh the vehicle loaded, or ask the shop to. Choosing springs without a weight is a guess.
02Ask what else the lift changes on your platform: alignment range, driveline angles, brake lines, headlight aim and driver-assistance sensors.
03Ask whether they align in house.
04Ask for the least height that clears your tires and keeps the geometry happy. More lift is not better.
05Ask how it will ride at both ends of your use: empty around town and loaded on washboard.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Weight is the number that matters.
01Year, model and drivetrain
02Current tire size and the size you want to run
03Everything bolted on: bumper, winch, rack, tent, drawers, water
04Loaded weight, if you have been across a scale
05How you use it, and a budget range
Questions people ask
How much lift do I need?
Less than you think. Most overland travel is dirt roads, washboard and the occasional ledge, and the vehicle spends its life loaded. Enough lift to clear a sensible all-terrain tire, with springs rated for your weight, usually drives better and breaks less than a tall kit.
Why does my truck sag in the back?
Because the factory springs were chosen for an empty truck. Drawers, a fridge, water, a tent and a rear bumper add constant weight. The fix is springs rated for that constant load, sometimes with air bags for the occasional heavy trip.
Do bigger tires mean I need new gears?
Larger tires make the engine and transmission work harder and change the speedometer reading. Whether re-gearing is worth it depends on the tire size, the vehicle and how much weight you carry. A shop that knows your platform can tell you where the line is.
How high is Nevada?
From Mesquite at 1,607 feet to Boundary Peak at 13,140.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
AustinOn US 50 in the middle of the state. Forest Service office for the Austin-Tonopah Ranger District.6,644 ft
ElyWhere US 50, US 6 and US 93 meet. BLM district office and Forest Service ranger district. The Park Service puts it 68 miles from Baker.6,436 ft
PiocheOn US 93. The Mount Wilson byway ends here, where State Route 322 returns to the highway.6,076 ft
TonopahWhere US 6 meets US 95. BLM field office and a Forest Service office. The Lunar Crater byway leaves US 6 to the east, at about mile marker 79.6,045 ft
WellsWhere I-80 meets US 93. Forest Service office. The California Trail byway starts 26 miles north on US 93.5,633 ft
BakerFive miles from Great Basin National Park, at the foot of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. The Park Service lists fuel here year-round.5,311 ft
ElkoOn I-80. BLM district office and a Forest Service office. The Forest Service puts Thomas Canyon Campground, in Lamoille Canyon, 30 miles away.5,067 ft
Carson CityState capital. BLM district office and a Forest Service office. NDOT’s Tahoe chain rules apply on US 50 between here and Glenbrook.4,680 ft
RenoOn I-80. Home of the BLM’s Nevada State Office. The road to the Black Rock leaves I-80 to the east, at Wadsworth.4,505 ft
CalienteOn US 93, east of Basin and Range National Monument. The BLM’s Caliente Field Office looks after the monument and the Mount Wilson byway.4,399 ft
WinnemuccaWhere I-80 meets US 95. The BLM’s Winnemucca District and Black Rock Field Office and a Forest Service office. The Fish and Wildlife Service routes visitors from here to Sheldon refuge by way of Denio.4,295 ft
LovelockOn I-80. Start of the BLM’s 20-mile Lovelock Cave Back Country Byway.3,980 ft
GerlachPortal to the Black Rock Desert, 75 miles north of Wadsworth on State Highway 447. The BLM lists fuel, food and motels here, and the nearest tow truck to the conservation area.3,943 ft
AlamoOn US 93. North end of Alamo Road from the Desert refuge, and the nearest tow service to Basin and Range National Monument.3,462 ft
Las VegasWhere I-15 meets US 93 and US 95. BLM district office and a Forest Service office. The Desert refuge’s Corn Creek entrance is north on US 95.1,996 ft
MesquiteOn I-15 in the far southeast. The Gold Butte byway starts off nearby Exit 112.1,607 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Boundary PeakThe highest point in Nevada, in Esmeralda County13,140 ft
Wheeler PeakGreat Basin National Park. The scenic drive ends below its face13,063 ft
Charleston PeakTop of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, outside Las Vegas11,918 ft
Ruby DomeRuby Mountains, above Lamoille Canyon11,387 ft
Hayford PeakThe highest point in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge9,924 ft
Wheeler Peak CampgroundWheeler Peak Scenic Drive: Baker and State Highway 488 to the Wheeler Peak trailheads, in Great Basin National Park9,886 ft
Road’s End TrailheadLamoille Canyon Road: State Route 227 to Road’s End Trailhead, in the Ruby Mountains8,800 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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